The Dark Knight and Peaky Blinders actor described the events that unfolded after suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a bomb in the crowded foyer of the Manchester Arena, just moments after pop singer Ariana Grande closed her concert, as an "inconceivable atrocity".

Launching the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, run by the British Red Cross Society on his Just Giving page, he wrote: "There is no bringing back those who have been lost, pointlessly, in such a cowardly and brutal fashion. I am truly saddened by what I have witnessed and there is no doubt that Terrorism is an evil thing."

The father of two has already raised almost half of his £15,000 target, which he hopes will "help in some small way towards repairing some if any of the damage done in the wake of last night's events."

He added: "There will be much to do and for many the beginning of a new life without those that they love and also a new life damaged irrevocably by the actions of a crime which has no reason, no heartfelt purpose but was simply a cruel cowardly and barbaric, meaningless act of violence. A road to recovery unimaginable."

He concluded his message by adding that "the killing of innocent families and children unacceptable. And it is with those, the innocent victims and the witnesses of this atrocity that my heartfelt concern and deepest sympathy lies."

A similar crowdfunding campaign by The Manchester Evening News has already surpassed its £1m target.

Meanwhile, police have confirmed they are on the hunt for possible accomplices of Salman Abedi, who they believe may have acted as a "mule". A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the there are fears that the 22-year-old was part of a terror cell. "The concern is that there may be others out there who helped him to make the bomb. Making a bomb of this sort requires a certain level of expertise and competence," the insider said.